Dr Megan Wang (née Kelleher)

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the blog!

This month, I wanted to continue to discuss some employability-related things, as I get asked a lot in my day to day life how I got into the job I’m doing. Broadly speaking, most of my career has been in the Heritage Sector and I know it can sometimes be a difficult sector to get into. In this blog, I’m going to talk about how I got into my work and provide some hints and tips to help you.

What is the Heritage Sector?

First, I think it’s important to define what is meant by the term “heritage sector”. The phrase is often used to describe the museums, historic buildings, archives, archaeological sites, education, events and the conservation of our history. This can range from a National Trust property to a project designed to encourage young people to learn about their local history. I’ve personally tended to work in the education and events side of things, where I’ve networked and organised a range of things from events to long-term partnerships. I know I’m biased, but it is a very rewarding job with a range of opportunities!

Why did I choose this Career Path?

This is quite a difficult question to answer, but the short answer is that I chose this career path because I wanted to use my studies and work in the history world. I wanted to make sure I could work with a broad range of people, and inspire the next generation of historians.

How can you get a Career in the Heritage Sector?

It can be difficult to break into the heritage sector, depending on the type of role you are hoping to do. My advice would be, where possible, to get as much experience as you can. If you can volunteer at a local site, please try to; if you are able to work at a place in a role, try to do that if you can. Even if you are initially working in a role that you don’t want to do forever, you will be able to make valuable contacts and get experience of working in the sector. Networking, whether that is at events or via social media, can also be a useful way to hear about new opportunities.

Remember, too, that any work experience you have is important: your skills can easily be transferred to a new role. For example, the customer service skills you learn by working in your local shop will mean that you are able to communicate effectively with customers at the heritage site and provide great customer service.

Working in heritage is incredibly rewarding, and if you are interested in working in this sector then I cannot recommend it enough! What other thoughts, hints and tips do you have? Let me know in the comments below!